Yes, Mac lovers – the time has finally arrived! Apple has finally come out with the latest update for its operating system: the iOS 7.1. If you’ve been following our blog for at least some time now, you probably noticed that the update spent a long time in beta testing and fine tuning. However, we here at Lure of Mac believe the wait was well worth it, and we hope you’ll agree, once you check out the complete list of iOS 7.1 improvements below.
As many assumed (and hoped) CarPlay has made the list of iOS 7.1 improvements. You can now make more of your portable Mac device while using it in your car – provided said car is CarPlay enabled. The feature supports a wide range of third party apps, but also the main built-in Apple apps, such as Phone, Music, Maps, and Messages. You can also control your device via Siri, as well as through the car’s own touchscreen, buttons, and knobs.
Siri
The Siri experience has also been greatly improved with this new iOS. Instead of just letting Siri figure it out by herself that you’re done talking, you can hold down the home button while you speak and release it to signal you’re done. Also, the voice talent that brings Siri to life has been improved for Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, UK and Australian English – both with male, as well as with female voices.
iTunes Radio
There’s a search field above the Featured Stations tab now, which makes it far easier to create iTunes Radio stations based on an artist or song you particularly like. The all-new iOS 7.1 improvements also make it easier for you to buy an album – just tap a button in Now Playing. To boot, you can now subscribe to iTune Match from your device (available for iPods, iPhones and iPads), in order to get rid of those pesky in-app adds.
Calendar
It used to be kind of annoying not to be able to see upcoming events in the monthly overview; after all, what’s the point of an event calendar, if not to plan ahead, right? Well, the iOS 7.1 improvements also include this function – you can see upcoming events in the monthly view. Numerous countries have now had many of their national holidays added, too.
iOS 7.1 accessibility improvements
As usual, some of the most hotly anticipated improvements that the new OS brings are those that enhance the Apple mobile device experience in terms of accessibility. The keyboard, calculator and several icon glyphs on your home screen can now be displayed in bold. You can also fiddle with display modes in other ways too: choose Reduce Motion for the Weather and Messages app, or for multitasking UI animations. You can select from a more ample range of button shapes, darken app colors and reduce white point onscreen.
Other iOS 7.1 improvements of note
Aside from all the big ticket changes listed above, there are also the finer tweaks. More countries have been added to the iCloud Keychain support feature. The HDR function can be automatically turned on for the camera on the iPhone 5S. FaceTime call notifications can be cleared when you take a call on another device. There was a bug in the previous iOS version that would cause the home screen to crash – that’s been taken care of now. And, at long last, Touch ID has been upgraded and improved. iPhone 4 owners can also expect better performances from their devices and, last but certainly not least, the interface looks and feels better.
If you still want more on this topic, you can watch the video walkthrough of the complete list of iOS 7.1 improvements below, released recently by iTwe4kz.